“I Brought Her, Just Like I Promised. My Girlfriend.”
“Hey, Kanata. Which one do you think?”
Already ready for bed, lying on the bedroom bed and kicking my feet idly, Yui-san suddenly held up a navy suit and a light gray one right in front of my face.
Reading the worried look on her face, it seemed she was agonizing over what to wear to meet my parents.
“You don’t even need a suit. It’s a half-day flight, so you should really just wear something comfortable, don’t you think?”
“I can’t do that. We’re going to meet your parents, so I need to look presentable.”
Seeing her — always so composed, so unshakably confident — looking this genuinely serious made me laugh.
Since coming back from our vacation, we’d started preparing to move our relationship one step further, beyond just girlfriends.
First, Yui-san had said she wanted to go meet my parents, so we’d been coordinating our schedules to head to London together — but…
Yui-san seemed unusually nervous about it, for once. No matter what she wore, with her figure she’d look put-together regardless, so there was really no need to worry so much.
I checked the clock. This is usually the time we’d already both be in bed together.
I wish she’d hurry up and come over here already.
She didn’t seem to notice at all that I’d been watching her, thinking exactly that.
“Hey, Yui-san. Can’t this wait until tomorrow? It’s already late, shouldn’t we go to sleep?”
The king-size bed I’d begged her to buy had been chosen on the assumption we’d sleep in it together. Sleeping alone in it would be far too much space.
Yui-san, apparently catching the slight edge of a sulk creeping into my voice, glanced over at me.
“This is important, so you should take it seriously too, Kanata.”
As if you ever agonize this much over what suit to wear, normally, I thought, feeling a ticklish sort of amusement inside.
But right now, there’s something I want prioritized over that.
Giving up, I got out of bed and approached her as she stood there locked in a staring contest with the suits, wrapping my arms around her from behind.
The warmth and softness coming through her thin loungewear felt wonderful — enough to blow away a whole week’s worth of exhaustion.
It was finally the long-awaited weekend night.
I’d assumed Yui-san felt the same way, but she’d left me sitting there ignored while she had a staring contest with her closet instead, and it wasn’t sitting well with me.
No. When we’re in this room, you’re supposed to only have eyes for me.
I felt like I finally understood, just a little, the feeling behind Yui-san’s constant grumbling about not wanting Orca-kun in this room.
“Hey, Yui-san… Is that really more important than sleeping with me right now?”
I threw a little of my sulking at her, testing the waters.
“Huh?”
Yui-san let out a surprised sound, apparently not expecting me to say something like that.
She turned to look at me. But I kept my head down so she couldn’t see my face, and held her body even tighter.
“Yui-san… come on, hurry.”
I whispered it, pouring every ounce of sweetness I could into my voice.
It was a little embarrassing, honestly — but I hoped she’d notice how I felt.
Looking up at her like that, I heard a thud, thud as the suits she’d been holding dropped to the floor, and in the same instant, her arm pulled tight around my waist.
Her gaze, far more serious now than it had been while picking out a suit, sent something warm blooming deep in my chest.
Good. She understood how I felt.
Her warm arms wrapped around my body, holding me almost tight enough to ache.
I let myself go limp against her, and her lips gently met mine.
Being the same sex, we still can’t legally marry.
Even so, we wanted something tangible to mark our commitment, so we decided to use the partnership system until that day comes.
We were in agreement that we wanted to hold a quiet, private wedding just among the people who already knew about our relationship and supported us — and to make that happen, the first step was meeting my parents.
Actually, I still hadn’t told my dad that the person I was dating was Yui-san. Partly because I wanted to surprise him, I’d only told him, “I’m bringing the person I’m dating.”
I wasn’t worried about my parents themselves — but I couldn’t help wondering what their reaction would be. Just imagining it was a little fun.
Yui-san seemed entirely focused on my parents’ reaction, but I’d kept it a secret from her that my little brother Kaname would actually be the tougher opponent.
I couldn’t help getting a little excited imagining how Yui-san, always so composed, would react to Kaname — and since I already knew, deep down, that Kaname would come around eventually anyway, this was just a tiny bit of mischief on my part.
I looked at the ring sparkling on my finger.
One thing at a time, like this, our relationship keeps becoming something more certain, more real.
Once we’re back in Japan, I want to get Yui-san a ring too.
When I told her I wanted us to go pick out engagement rings together, she told me she didn’t want an engagement ring — she wanted a wedding ring instead. I laughed and nodded.
*
The day we left.
After agonizing endlessly, she’d finally settled on the navy suit, and pulled her suitcase along with a nervous expression.
It’s half a day from Haneda to London — if she’s already this tense now, I worried she’d wear herself out before we even got there. I gave her joined hand a light tug.
“Hey, Yui-san, you really don’t have to be this nervous. Dad’s already met you before, you know.”
“Huh? I’ve met your dad?”
Yui-san looked at me, startled, and I smiled faintly.
“He told me he met you once, back when you were little. It’s not like it’s your first meeting, so it’ll be fine.”
“Really, huh.”
I decided not to mention that it had been at her mother’s funeral. Yui-san had only been in first grade at the time, so it made sense she wouldn’t remember.
“I wonder how Dad will react. I’m sure he’ll recognize you the second he sees your face, so I’m really looking forward to it. Maybe he’ll freeze up in shock.”
“I hope shock is all it is. …Just between us, my own dad’s been giving me a hard time about this. When I told him I was going to meet your parents, he said, ‘I never imagined in a million years my own daughter would go after my best friend’s daughter. How am I supposed to face Aozawa now?’”
I laughed, picturing Yui-san’s father with his head in his hands. Come to think of it, the whole idea of Yui-san and me sharing an apartment had originally come from her father’s suggestion in the first place.
So many serendipitous threads of connection had brought us to where we are now, walking side by side.
I don’t think there’s anything that could make me happier than getting to have the people who matter most to us celebrate this new chapter — starting a life together as irreplaceable partners for the rest of our lives.
I glanced sideways at her profile.
Seeing Yui-san — who never once flinched, no matter how high-stakes the meeting or negotiation, always composed and confident — looking far more nervous than usual filled me with a warm feeling.
*
The business-class flight was genuinely comfortable and calming for me, but it didn’t seem to be the same for Yui-san.
That’s exactly why I’d told her to dress comfortably, and yet the moment we landed, she stretched out her stiff, tense body with a heavy sigh.
“Yui-san, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. …Just a little nervous.”
She let out a breath, shoulders sagging, and I laughed, leading her by the hand down the airport route I knew so well.
My brother Kaname had come to pick us up by car.
Spotting him waiting for us in the arrivals lobby, I waved — and Kaname glanced at me once, then immediately slid his gaze sideways, sharp, toward Yui-san beside me.
Narrowing his eyes — the same light brown as mine — he sized her up with a hard, evaluating stare.
Yui-san seemed to catch the sharpness of his gaze instantly, glancing at his profile and drawing a quiet, barely audible breath.
“Kaname, long time no see. Thanks for picking us up.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ichinose Yui.”
“…Nice to meet you. Aozawa Kaname.”
An awkward tension hung in the air between Kaname, clearly holding something back, and Yui-san, smiling at him with visible restraint.
Ignoring it, I laughed and gripped her hand tightly.
“Yui-san let me stay at her place back in university. See, Kaname? Just like I told you, isn’t she gorgeous?”
“Huh, back in university…? I see, so that’s how it was. No wonder she made my sister cry. Looks like she’d have no trouble finding people interested.”
“What—”
After giving Yui-san one sharp, pointed look, Kaname’s eyes drifted down to my ring finger, and then he gave a short laugh.
“Well, whatever. As long as Sis is happy now. You came all the way out here, so I’ll take that to mean you’re not going to make her cry anymore, right? Come on, let’s go. Mom and Dad are waiting.”
Saying it lightly, twirling the car key around his finger, Kaname turned and started walking off without another word.
The one who made my sister cry… could it be that Kaname’s already figured out that Yui-san was the reason I suddenly came back to London partway through university?
“…Kanata. Does Kaname-kun hate me, by any chance?”
Yui-san murmured it quietly, low enough that Kaname wouldn’t hear, looking just a little hurt.
“Kaname’s always been a total sister’s boy. But he’s honest at heart… it’ll be fine, he’ll come around.”
“I hope so…”
Yui-san said it, wiping sweat from her brow, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
But — Yui-san probably didn’t realize it, but I was pretty sure that was actually Kaname holding back, compared to what he could have said.
I’m sure there was a mountain of things he wanted to say, but he swallowed all of it and offered his blessing instead — someday, I definitely want to properly thank my little brother for that.
*
I went to get in the front seat, but Kaname told us we could both sit in the back, so I leaned back against the seat, gazing out the window at the London streets, telling Yui-san stories about my memories of living here.
Normally I’d have given in to jet lag and fallen asleep on this drive, but today, with Yui-san right there beside me, I wasn’t sleepy at all.
Dad had mentioned recently that his long posting in the UK was finally winding down, and that he’d likely be moving back to Japan before too long.
So I was genuinely glad I’d managed to bring Yui-san to this city before that happened.
*
Getting out of the car and opening the front door, I nearly burst out laughing at the sight of my dad standing there, tie done all the way up, looking thoroughly nervous.
“Dad, Mom, I’m home!”
“W-welcome home, Kanata.”
His nervousness was obvious at a glance. And the moment Yui-san stepped out from behind me — Dad’s eyes went wide with shock.
“Wait… wait…?”
He was staring at Yui-san’s face, utterly stunned, and I had to fight with everything I had not to burst out laughing.
“Thank you for always taking such good care of my father. I’m Ichinose Yui.”
Dad kept staring at her, still shocked, even as she introduced herself in a clear, composed voice.
Unable to hold it in any longer, I laughed and pulled Yui-san’s arm, hugging her tightly against me.
“Dad, I brought her, just like I promised. My girlfriend.”
“Wh— WHAAAAAT!?”
“Whew — that startled me. I thought my heart might actually stop… I never imagined Kanata’s girlfriend would turn out to be Yui-chan. Kanata, Fuyuto, why didn’t either of you say anything?”
“I wanted to surprise you, Dad.”
I laughed at Dad, sitting on the sofa, letting out a long, deflated sigh.
Mom made tea for us with a delighted smile, and the atmosphere really was as warm and easygoing as I’d hoped, so Yui-san had visibly relaxed from her earlier nerves, smiling now too.
“I could tell right away, the moment I saw your face. You really do take after your mother, Yui-chan — so beautiful. Your hair and eye color favor Fuyuto, but your features are the spitting image of your mother.”
Dad pulled a notebook down from the shelf and handed Yui-san a single photo tucked inside it.
It was the same photo I’d been shown once before — the one of Yui-san’s mother and father, back when they were university students.
“Here, this is from their university days. Look how young they both look.”
Yui-san stared quietly at the photo of the two of them, smiling, standing close together. Gently, she traced her fingertip over the image, and smiled, looking genuinely happy.
“Ever since I was little, my mother was always kind of a forbidden topic… even my father never really talked much about what kind of person she was. So I never really got to see many photos of her, either. …But they both look so happy here, don’t they. Dad, and… Mom too.”
Yui-san said it, almost to herself, and I took her hand and held it tightly, not caring at all that we were right in front of my parents.
“…I’m really glad both you and Kanata look this happy, Yui-chan. Thank you for coming all this way to see us.”
Dad said it, sounding like he was savoring every word, and Yui-san lifted her eyes, looking straight at him with total sincerity.
“…I came here today because I wanted your permission — to spend the rest of my life with Kanata, going forward. There’s not much I can give her, honestly. But even so, I swear I’ll spend my whole life making sure she’s happy. So…”
“You don’t need my permission for that. That’s something for Kanata and Yui-chan to decide, the two of you. No one has the right to deny what the two of you have already decided together.”
Saying that, Dad looked steadily at me.
“Kanata. Take good care of Yui-chan, okay?”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll take care of her, always, forever.”
I nodded firmly too.
There’s no anxiety in the life ahead of us. All I can see is happiness. As long as the two of us get to keep living our lives together.
“Yui-chan. Thank you for loving Kanata. Please, take care of our daughter… from here on too.”
Every time someone else accepts our relationship, it feels like it becomes something a little more solid, a little more real.
I wanted us to have matching rings.
And now, that dream is finally about to come true.
I want us to wear wedding dresses together, and swear to love each other, in sickness and in health. I’m sure that moment will become one of the happiest, most unforgettable memories of my entire life.
…That’s the noble-sounding version, anyway. Honestly, deep down, I just really want to become Yui-san’s wife.
The resolve to love just one person, faithfully, for an entire lifetime.
I think that’s an incredibly precious thing.
*
Inviting her into my old room, Yui-san looked all around, taking it in like something rare and fascinating.
It’s a completely unremarkable, ordinary room, but Yui-san gazed around it with sparkling eyes anyway.
“Sit on the bed.”
“Okay, thanks. So this is the room you grew up in, huh. Hey, Kanata, show me old photos, from when you were little.”
I’d been fully relaxed, drowsy enough that I’d planned to unpack quickly and take a lazy nap together with Yui-san, so her sudden request caught me off guard.
“Photos? I’ve got some, but…”
I pulled an album down from the bookshelf on the wall and handed it to her.
Taking it, Yui-san stroked the album carefully, almost reverently, before gently opening the cover.
I sat down beside her too, pressing my shoulder against hers, peering into the album together.
I don’t really look back at pictures of myself as a kid very often — it stirred up a wave of nostalgia.
“So cute. How old were you here?”
“Um… this one’s… maybe first or second grade, I think?”
It was a photo of me wearing my school backpack, walking hand in hand with Dad.
Yui-san narrowed her eyes, smiling with such tenderness that something in my own chest tightened.
“Hey, Yui-san.”
“Hm?”
I tugged her sleeve, trying to get her to look at me. But she was too absorbed in the album to even glance my way.
“…Was I cuter back then?”
I said it, feeling a little put out, and Yui-san’s head snapped up from the album.
She laughed at my sulking and gently pulled me in by the waist.
“You’re the cutest in the world, Kanata, then and now.”
“Okay, then the album’s done.”
“Wait, why? I want to see more. I haven’t even gotten through it yet.”
“Nope. I’m sleepy now, sleep with me.”
I threw my arms around her and pushed her down with my full weight. The single bed creaked in protest, but I didn’t care and pressed in close anyway.
“Yui-san, hold me properly.”
“Yes, yes, got it. Whatever my adorable little princess wants, I’ll give it to her.”
Her arms wrapped around my back, pulling me in tight.
“…But Kanata, if you sleep now, won’t you have trouble sleeping tonight?”
“It’s fine, since it’s with you, Yui-san. I’ll wake up properly and show you around, just like I promised — my favorite town, the one I grew up in.”
If I manage to wake up with the morning sun tomorrow, we’ll ride the cramped little Underground together and go buy some tea.
And then, in the afternoon, I’m planning to treat her to the most special afternoon tea imaginable.